/ri fuyn"meuhnt/ , n.
1. fineness or elegance of feeling, taste, manners, language, etc.
2. an instance of refined feeling, manners, etc.
3. the act or process of refining.
4. the quality or state of being refined.
5. a subtle point or distinction.
6. subtle reasoning.
7. an improved, higher, or extreme form of something: a refinement of the old system.
8. Math. a set whose elements include the elements of a given set.
[ 1605-15; REFINE + -MENT ]